


Second Sight

by ellipsometry



Series: ✧SASO 2017✧ [19]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Love at first(?) sight, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 04:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11960184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellipsometry/pseuds/ellipsometry
Summary: There’s nothing in Oikawa’s life, he’s come to believe, that he can’t control, to one degree or another.  Even the forces beyond his immediate control -- fate, as some would call it -- can be mitigated, given half a chance.And so, when Oikawa realizes he’s in love with Ushijima Wakatoshi, he decides to do what any sensible person would do given the chance: fall out of love, immediately.Oikawa considers his relationship with fate, and with Usjihima.





	Second Sight

**Author's Note:**

> [written for SASO 2017 bonus round 6!](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/24968.html?thread=15705736#cmt15705736)

Oikawa very decidedly does not believe in fate. There’s nothing, in his mind, that can’t be changed, that can’t be done or undone or wrecked or rectified. The very idea of placing his future in the hands of any other person or force sends an unfriendly chill down Oikawa’s spine. He’ll keep his _fate_ firmly in his own hands, thank you very much.

There’s nothing in Oikawa’s life, he’s come to believe, that he can’t control, to one degree or another. Even the forces beyond his immediate control -- fate, as some would call it -- can be mitigated, given half a chance.

And so, when Oikawa realizes he’s in love with Ushijima Wakatoshi, he decides to do what any sensible person would do given the chance: fall out of love, immediately.

+

It happens so suddenly that it knocks the breath out of him.

A prominent university in Miyagi is hosting an open gym for recent high school graduates. Oikawa has already committed to a university in Tokyo, but he shows up anyway, ready to flex his muscles and get some practice in before the school year starts.

But Ushijima has to go and ruin Oikawa’s day by showing up as well, decked out from head-to-toe in eggplant hued Shiratorizawa gear. _As fate would have it,_ some might say, but not Oikawa. He prefers to think of Ushijima’s ubiquitous presence in his life as something more akin to a cosmic joke. (Preferably a cosmic joke involving aliens, if Oikawa’s being quite honest.)

Because he can’t resist a good quip, Oikawa crosses the gym and stands in front of Ushijima, hand on his hip. He opens his mouth -- ready to make some remark like, _Can’t let Shiratorizawa go, huh?_ or maybe, _You’re still stalking me, Ushiwaka?_ , or maybe even a classic, like, _Look what the cat dragged in!_

But the moment Ushijima turns toward him, almond eyes meeting Oikawa’s immediately, Oikawa’s mouth goes dry and his mind goes blank. Suddenly, there’s nothing else that Oikawa can focus on, except the distance between him and Ushijima, and how desperately he wants to close it. His hands flex, and Oikawa wonders distantly if he’s ever looked at Ushijima without fists clenched.

“Oikawa?” Ushijima intones, the low rumble sparking an unfamiliar and uncomfortable feeling in the pit of Oikawa’s stomach. His face looks soft with lingering sleep, which surprises Oikawa -- doesn’t Ushijima always wake up early for his daily run and weightlifting session? Did he oversleep by accident? Since when does Oikawa know Ushijima’s schedule by heart? And, more importantly, since when does he _care_?

“Is something wrong?

Oikawa swallows, hard. He takes a breath, puffs out his cheeks, and turns quick on his heel, to avoid letting Ushijima see the completely dumbstruck look on his face.

Because, yes, something is very, _very_ wrong.

+

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa’s voice is as serious as a heart attack, a brain tumor, and a stab wound all wrapped into one, “I’m in love with Ushiwaka.”

Once Iwaizumi finally stops laughing -- and that definitely takes a while -- Oikawa informs him of his genius plan to fall _out_ of love.

“I’m just going to,” Oikawa slices a hand through the air in front of him, “Stop.”

“... Stop what?”

“Stop liking him!” Oikawa snaps, “Keep up, Iwa-chan!”

Feelings, like fate or destiny or forces unseen, are just something else that Oikawa likes to pretend he can control. And hadn’t he been successful in that endeavor before? With help from Iwaizumi and his teammates, Oikawa had overcome his feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. He had helped Kageyama of his own volition, he had swallowed down bittersweet feelings about separating from Iwaizumi during college, he had fought back his own small fears about starting all over, from the bottom, on a new team at university.

Surely, he could get over a little something like -- let’s say -- a sudden and nearly uncontrollable urge to slam Ushijima against the nearest wall and kiss him until his lips fall off.

Right?

“Putting aside the fact that this is… ridiculous,” Iwaizumi massages the bridge of his nose, “You can’t just turn feelings on and off like a faucet. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Sure it does,” Oikawa says, lifting one slender eyebrow, “Why wouldn’t it?”

For that remark, Oikawa gets a book thrown at his head. Later that night, with the bump on his head receding, Iwaizumi gives him the real tough love: “If you like Ushiwaka, for whatever godforsaken reason, then you better do something about it.”

+

Oikawa doesn’t take Iwaizumi’s advice on purpose. In the moment, he scoffs, rolls his eyes, etc. It’s just like Iwaizumi to be as straight-forward as possible, especially with matters of the heart. Oikawa, meanwhile, sets about searching his entire mind, body, and soul for the source of these sudden feelings, so he can immediately nip them in the bud.

It’s by accident, really, that Oikawa ends up sitting across from Ushijima at a crowded restaurant, close enough that their knees keep knocking together under the table.

“I really enjoy the hayashi rice here,” Ushijima says, folding his hands in front of him. It’s the first time Oikawa has actually heard Ushijima express interest in anything other than volleyball (or, well, _him_ , but Oikawa tries not to think about that.)

Oikawa had been out for an afternoon run when he had ran into Ushijima -- literally. He refuses to believe it was fate that steered him toward the neighborhood he knows Ushijima is fond of running in -- and why, oh why, does he know that in the first place? -- but to exonerate fate means admitting that it was Oikawa himself that ran towards Ushijima.

How a brief exchange of near-pleasantries turned into Oikawa joining Ushijima at a nearby restaurant for lunch, Oikawa may never know. He was fairly checked-out of their entire conversation, focused instead on the olive green of Ushijima’s eyes, and the small flecks of brown and gold therein.

Ushijima is still talking, and it’s more than Oikawa has ever heard him say at one time. The words crash over him like waves, soothing but suffocating.

“I’m sorry, I have been going on,” Ushijima says, “But I am grateful for this opportunity to clear the air between us. It was important that we speak, given the circumstances.”

That certainly makes Oikawa snap to attention, and for a terrifying second, he thinks that Ushijima has discovered his feelings, “What circumstances? Did you talk to Iwa-chan? He would never tell you, did you threaten him?”

Ushijima holds up his hands, “I did not speak to Iwaizumi-san. Our coach spoke to me.”

“Our…” Oikawa narrows his eyes, “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“We, um,” Ushijima hesitates, and there’s a brief twitch at the corner of his mouth, like he’s trying to hold back a smile, “We are going to be teammates, at university.”

Their entrees arrive at that moment -- two plates of hayashi rice -- and Oikawa clenches his jaw to keep his mouth from dropping open. There are a lot of questions in his mind -- What is he going to do? Wasn’t Ushiwaka already committed to another school? How in the hell are they actually going to work together on the same team? Why won’t his heart stop fucking _beating_ , like it’s trying to escape his chest?

But, instead of any of those questions, what comes out of Oikawa’s mouth is a single bark of laughter, so loud that it startles Ushijima and a few of their fellow restaurant patrons.

“Oh, Ushiwaka,” Oikawa wipes a mock tear from his eye, “You really do make me believe in fate. And I really fuckin’ hate you for that.”

Ushijima frowns, “What do you mean?”

Oikawa isn’t sure if that’s a blush spreading across Ushijima’s cheeks or if it’s just the low light of the restaurant playing tricks on him, “I _mean_ that I spend all my time trying to get as far away from you as possible, and yet here you are. All the time. No matter what.”

“I’m not--”

“Fate is punishing me!” Oikawa decides, lifting his plate and shoveling a bit of food in his mouth, “This is good, by the way.”

Ushijima doesn’t look like he’s decided how to respond to Oikawa’s accusations, which is just as well, since Oikawa isn’t sure how to respond to his own words either. Ushijima watches Oikawa for a second, eyebrows knitted together and fingers worrying at his chopsticks.

“It is good,” he says, finally, giving Oikawa a small, pleased smile.

“Stop that,” Oikawa says, through a mouthful of rice, “Don’t smile, I’m not happy about this.”

Ushijima is still smiling, and Oikawa hates how much he doesn’t hate it, “I hope I will be able to change your mind,” he says simply.

And then, with a shrug, “Or perhaps fate will also take care of that.”

Oikawa goes beet red, chokes on his rice, and adds one more question to his ever-growing list: How will he ever, ever live this down?


End file.
